Microsoft talks to GLAAD about GLBT policy issues

Are people seriously cruising XBox Live for ass? Who gives a crap if you're gay or straight, otherwise?

Have they ever even been on XBL?

Try going 1 match of Halo 3 without hearing the word "Gay" at least 12 times in 5 minutes.

Go ahead.

I'll wait.

Who cares what you are. Lets go back to the days of not telling anyone. If you wanna be openly whatever prepare to get clowned. Next time STFU. Nobody cares who you like. Its shit like this that makes America look like a bunch of clowns. Oh yeah Iam an American. Take off the orientation its a choice who you want to be with. Thats it. There is no medical science to this shit, its all choice....Oh no, someone is going to bash me because of my ideals. Grow up at least we dont live in a third world country where we have to worry about tanks rolling down our streets.

I support the current policy. Xbox live is to play GAMES not to promote, discuss or reveal anything to do with sexual orientation. I would rather it stay out.

I agree. get rid of anyone having the ability to say their sexual preference. I don't care if you are gay/straight/whatever. It has no place on Xbox live. The only reason you would want to promote your sexual orientation on an adolescent gaming service is to provoke a response.

Like someone said before, I don't run have written all over my bio "22 caucasian male, straight, brown hair, blue eyes. Sagittarius."

Bio should be more relevant. Ex: I enjoy COD 4, teh Haloz, and Dance Dance Revolution.

I don't get it, unless you are using XBL as some kind of online dating service, why do you have to state your sexual preference?

Man, things like this really give me a lot of respect for Microsoft. They're willing to just sit and talk about any issues that come up, warranted or not. More people and organizations need to be able to do that.

This whole thing has been blown way out of proportion. There shouldn't even be such problem with someone just stating their sexuality. What if a person says that they have a boyfriend or girlfriend? Would that be a big no-no? For example, my friend recently got a xbox due to his boyfriend and at the bottom of his long winded auto-biography about his life, he mentions that his "wonderful boyfriend" got him the xbox. Immediately I thought back to the case about the woman who proclaimed to be a lesbian in her bio, and started to worry about people harassing him online.

It would be horrible if some kid and his goons were skimming through profile bios and saw that, spammed him, flagged him, and got him banned from xbox live just for leaving such a harmless note. As for protecting children, I'm tired of people complaining about protecting children. The best protection a child is going to have while playing an online game is moderation by their parents. You can't expect Microsoft to meet everyone's demands because someone somewhere is going to get fucked.

As opposed to all the unofficial therapy you've been getting?

I kind of wonder if MS isn't just trying to avoid people using "gay" as an insult or in another derogatory way in their profiles.

I don't think I have ever mentioned my sexuality on Xbox Live. Ever.

The closest I got to that was saying I had a husband on Fable II, which I didn't state I was a guy character or girl character, just that I had a husband.

Everyone on the "gays should keep quiet about their orientation" side say that the lesbian being banned issue is being "blown out of proportion" while the opposite side, being gay people, are effectively voicing "we just want to be treated like everyone else, no better and no worse" (that whole EQUALITY word). I wish more people in the middle (the straight, non-homophobic or bigoted part of society) would share their opinions, but I can understand their lack of caring enough to get involved.

Sexual orientation is an identifier, like Saria said. What you choose to send out into the world to say "hey, this is me" can't really be judged by others. It's a list of things about yourself that you care to share, there is no right or wrong. Some people like sharing their favourite kind of music or that they love cars or are from X country. I happen to identify as a Native Canadian gay gamer girl. If someone states in their profile that they play guitar, collect comic books and watch anime, I don't pause to consider if I agree or disagree with (or, alternatively, like or dislike) what they stated about themselves, I just wonder if there's any potential for shared interests. It should be the same thing for sexual orientation.

I would love to game with more females, and furthermore, lesbian gamers. So why should I be prevented from stating that I'm a lesbian on my gaming profile? It makes sense that I would potentially have a lot to talk about with other lesbians who love videogames.

The above being said, I live in reality. I don't share that I'm gay on my profile because I know that that would garner negative attention. I get enough stupid immature male attention on XBL just because I'm female.

I'm sure parents would be thrilled to see all of the 420 gamertags.

This discussion is unnecessary in the context of gaming. Bios shouldn't have any thing sexual in reference in them period. We try and go there to game, right? Bios should be some what limiting in my opinion, LIVE isn't a MySpace, FaceBook or e-Harmony. We have enough to deal with with all of the unsupervised underage kids, mental & social rejects going in and out of LIVE.

Like I've always said, LIVE is a good place to see where mankind is at on an evolutionary social standpoint and any alien race who came down and experienced mankind for the first time through LIVE would more than likely hate mankind and want its destruction.

There are so many emasculated, indoctrinated, politically correct idiots on this site.

Can we all move on from caring about the kind of consensual intimacy other adults have? In fact, I can do with less imagining what other ugly Xbox Livers do when they're not Xbox Living. Seriously. Get over it.

@Lee

You say you wouldn't put your sexual preference in your profile, which is fine.. then it's the "but if I did"... now you're in a whole hypothetical area, where your reasoning could easily change if you decide you DO want to put your preference for all to see... Personally, I wouldn't kill anyone, but if I did, here's why I'd do it.. etc.. It can get ridiculous real fast.

Eyes being blue is a physical trait anyone can see in person or in a picture. Obviously not from reading a bio, but it's a physical characteristic nonetheless. Being gay is not something anyone would ever see in any form without you letting them know. I don't see how you equate them to being the same. Would you equate someone writing "Nazi" as the same to someone who might post that he/she's a Democrat or Republican? Probably not, though weren't/aren't they all political parties with general ideas unique to each one?

Yes, the points are extreme, but just because they may describe someone doesn't make it correct, moreso when it's violating the TOS.

As a straight, white male in his 40's, I gotta say that I Do Not Care about anyone's sexual orientation. Straight, gay, bi... whatever, I'm cool with it. With 17+ million users, video and audio chat capabilities (one-on-one and parties) and the ability to do such things as "watch movies together", Xbox Live is NOT strictly a gaming service anymore. It's a social-networking tool that has a gaming component. As such, people should in fact be allowed to express their sexual orientation (in a non-offensive manner, of course) in their bio, whatever that orientation may be. I mean, seriously... why does someone expressing their orientation bother you? It's not like they're trying to recruit you.

For all the people whose view it is that we need to "protect the children"... have you ever played Halo 3 on Live? I'm far more worried about protecting my children (yes, I have 3) from the adolescent boys who feel that gay-bashing and cussing up a storm makes them mature. THAT'S what we should be concerned about as parents - exposing our kids to small-minded morons.

That same argument goes against the "people proclaiming their orientation are going to get harassed, so we should disallow disclosure of orientation altogether" stance. So wait, a person chooses to post information about themselves on a service with features DESIGNED for posting information about themselves, people harass them, and the response is to say they should keep quiet so as not to be harassed? Really? What if the harassment was based on the users gender, or race, or religion? Mess with somebody for any of those and you get ban-hammered (I would assume), but bash 'em for being gay and it's "well, they shouldn't have disclosed that. It's too controversial"?

I actually feel bad for Microsoft being put in this situation, and I am Gay.

GLAAD is kinda the NAACP of the gay world. They bitch and bitch and bitch anytime something isn't ideal for gays.

If Microsoft allows people to put their sexual orientation in their profiles, it won't end there. Then they will have to find a way to protect people who do so from online Homophobia.

It really is a bit more complicated than some people here want to pretend it is.